URUGWIRO VILLAGE - President Paul Kagame yesterday received   the visiting United Nations Deputy Secretary General, Dr. Asha Rosemary Migiro, and the UN High Commissioner of Refugees, Antonio Guterres.

Addressing journalists at Urugwiro Village after the meeting, the two officials said they had held discussions on issues relating to the work of the United Nations in the country, the ‘Delivering as One UN’ initiative and the status of refugees in and outside the country.

Migiro who is in the country to attend the three-day "Delivering as One UN” meeting that ends today, said that her discussion with President Kagame, revolved around the country’s role in supporting UN activities, especially multilateralism as well as the climate change agenda.

"Rwanda supports multilateralism--- this is something that the President mentioned during the General Assembly, and it has been reinforced by the cooperation that we have between the UN and Rwanda.

The country is very supportive of the climate change agenda of the Secretary General,” Migiro said.

The senior UN official said that President Kagame has shown his support for the initiative aimed at leading the battle against climate change and the effects of global warming. She also hailed Rwanda’s efforts to support UN peacekeeping programmes.

"Rwanda is a huge contributor and this is acknowledged by all of us, and above all, the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. He wanted me to deliver this message to President Kagame,” she said.

She observed that Rwanda is the only nation among the eight pilot countries implementing the ‘Delivering as One UN’ initiative that has registered massive progress characterised by increasing cooperation and coordination between UN agencies and the government

The Tanzanian born had earlier held talks with the Foreign Affairs Minister, Rosemary Museminali.

According to Museminali, the senior UN diplomat hailed the improved relations between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda’s role in supporting regional peace initiatives as well as implementing the resolutions to apprehend to FDLR fugitives still on the run.

"As you might be aware, the UN passed resolutions to bring to book FDLR top commanders as well as leaders of other rebel movements causing unrest in the region, and we touched on this during our discussions,”

"We also talked about the closure of ICTR and how Rwanda would want to have anything to do with the ICTR, including the archives, transferred to Rwanda when it closes down because this is our history. It is part and parcel of Rwanda and that no one has a right over it than us,” Museminali underscored. 

On his part, the UNCHR chief, who is in the country to present a new proposal to the government of invoking the cessation clause that will see the Rwandan refugee chapter closed by 2011, said that his talks with President Kagame revolved around how the UN body can work with Rwanda to solve the refugee crisis once and for all.

"I am here in Kigali to discuss with the government the roadmap for its implementation (cessation) to make sure that the rights of people are properly taken into account,” Guterres told the press.

Local Government Minister Christopher Bazivamo said that he is optimistic that the 2011 ‘no refugees’ target could be met, especially with all the necessary conditions for people to return, ranging from good governance, peace and stability being in place. 

Ends